Slide fastener



May 13, 1941. G M B ckwn' 2,241,841

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Oct. 20, 1938 I I :az-

VEN TOR.

"1 M I 1 W2 Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLIDE FA STENER George Talon,

M. nukwnn, Meadviile, r... assignor to 1110., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 20, 1938, Serial No. 236,053

6 Claims.

My invention relates to slide fasteners and certain types of garments in which such fasteners are particularly adapted to be used.

The fundamental object of my invention is to provide an improved slide fastener embodying improved means for allowing adjustment. of one side of the slide fastener longitudinally relative to the other side. Heretofore in most instances there has been either a permanent connection fastener stringer when desired and at the same.

time, which will stay in such desired position even when the other stringer is disconnected from it. p

In the accompanying drawing I have shown for purposes of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my adjustable coupler and shows it on a conventional type of separating slide fastener assembly;

stringer. In the top surface of the stop is a raised head portion l2 which retains a locking member IS. The locking member i3 is pivoted at I! on a pin extending through the head and has a locking prong [5 which is urged into looking engagement with the fastener elements by means of a spring I6. The lock may be easily disengaged by pushing down the end opposite the locking finger.

As shown in Fig. 1 the adjustable stop is assembled on a conventional type of slide fastener assembly comprising right and left-stringers I! and 18 respectively, carrying on their adjacent edges interdigitating elements l9. and one of the stringers at its lower end carries a suitable stop means 20 which may be formed in any suitable manner or may even comprise a conventional type of separating bottom stop. The opposite stringer carries the conventional type of pin 2! which engages a suitable socket 26 formed in the interior of the adjustable stop. adjacent channel 9. The slide-fastener assembly carries a conventional type of slider 22.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view or my adjustable 4 coupler removed from the fastener assembly;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section on the line 33 ofFlg. 1;

In operation the adjustable coupler may be adjusted at any point along the stringer and locked there by means 0! the locking arm to adjust one fastener stringer longitudinally relative to the other, and the slider brought adjacent the stop between the guide flanges 23 which 'flanges may be incorporated to facilitate aligning the slide The pin member 2i is then fed through the slider and into the socket 26 in a manner practically identical with the operation of the conventional type of separating bottom stop. The slider is then moved in a closing direction and the-fastener elements i9 engaged in a manner as best illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the linell of v Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an extended view of a slide fastener assembly equipped with my adjustable coupler showing the fastener in partially closed position;

Fig. 6 shows a garment equipped with a slide fastener incorporating my adjustable coupler for accomplishing adjustment of the waist portion;

and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of Fig. 6showing the waist portion ofthe garment adjusted to size and the fastener in closed position.

The adjustable stop generally designated} has an interior channel 9 extending longitudinally with guiding flanges l0 and II respectively, which slidably engage the legs of the fastener elements when the adjustable coupler is in place on the My invention will be particularly applicable to garments where it is desired tohave an adjustable waist portion, and will be easily applied. For example, a standard type of fastener may be. equipped with my improved adjustable coupler which does not necessitate altering any of the manufacturing procedure or changing any standards. Therefore, when it is desired to use a fastener for an adjusting means, such as on maternity garments, etc.,.my'adjustable coupler maybe slid over one of the stringers as heretofore described.

As shown in Figs. 6 and I, a slide fastener equipped with my adjustable coupler is usedior the purpose of adjusting the waist portion of a "garment. Here one of the stringers of the slide fastener is attached to one portion 24 of the garment about the waist and the complementary stringer is attached to the underlying portion 25 of the waist. Then to accomplish adjustment of the waist portion it is necessary only to set the adjustable coupler at a desired point, feed the pin through the slider and into the coupler, and then when the slider is closed, the waist portion of the garment will be in proper adjustment as shown in Fig. '7.

While I have shown and described in this application on embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purposes of illustration and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A slide fastener of the class described comprising a pair of completely separable stringers,

. means for connecting the end of one stringer to the other stringer comprising a coupling member on the end of one stringer, a coperating coupling member on the opposite stringer having means to hold said first coupling member, said second coupling member being adjustably mounted on its stringer whereby the two stringers may be connected together in various relative positions.

2. A slide fastener of the class described comprising a pair of completely separable fastener stringers, means for connecting the end of one stringer to the other stringer, comprising a pin member attached adjacent the fastener elements at the end of one fastener stringer, a cooperating coupling member adjustably mounted on the opposite stringer and having means to hold said pin member, said couplin member being ,adjustably mounted on its stringer whereby the two stringers may be connected together in various relative positions.

3. A slide fastener of the class described comprising a pair of completely separable fastener stringers, means for connecting the end of one stringer to the other stringer comprising a pin member attached adjacent the fastener elements fastener longitudinally relative to the other.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said coupling is composed of upper and lower body parts joined together by an integral neck,

one of said body parts having a raised head portion enclosing the locking member for adjustably securing said coupling member on the ele ments on one of said stringers.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said coupling is composed of upper and lower body parts joined together by an integral neck, one of said body parts having a raised head portion enclosing the locking member for adjustably securing said coupling member on one of said strin'gers, said locking mean comprising a locking finger mounted in said head, a prong on said finger adapted to engage the fastener element, a spring automatically urging said finger into locking position, and means for manually releasing said locking prong.

6. In a garment having overlapping body portions, a slide fastener stringer attached to each of said body portions, and capable of being engaged for closing the body portions together in overlapping relation, and means on said slide fastener stringer for connectin the end of one stringer to the other stringer comprising a coupling member on the end of one stringer, and a. cooperating coupling member having means to hold said first coupling member, said second coupling member being adjustably mounted on its stringer whereby said overlapping body portions may be connected together in various overlapping relative positions.

GEORGE M. BECKWITH. 

